The Last of Us: Beautiful Grown Up Ellie Is Complete: It's Fanart but Neil Druckmann "Would Play it"

Remember the fanart from The Last of Us portraying a grown up Ellie by concept artist Marek Okon that made everyone believe in a sequel of the game for a few hours? It’s finally done, and Okon himself posted a long explanation on his Facebook account, echoed by Neil Druckmann, that mentioned that he "would play it."

[Axonometri]

Grown up? She still looks young to me.

[Abriael]

She looks in her late teens.

[nveenio]

"Young" is probably pretty subjective. As is "grown up".

[Porcelain_Chicken]

Grown-up, teenager, young adult whatevs. It's beautiful, it makes for a badass wallpaper and I got an insane urge to run through TLOU again. See ya guys in 13 hours.

[GribbleGrunger]

Once the camp found out she was immune and realised she could be dangerous, she would be ostracised or marginalised. Eventually the burden would get too great and she'd have to move on. I see Ellie as a pariah in the next game, a wondering and lonely person with a need to settle down but a reason to keep on moving. That's a story/character worth exploring.

[Axonometri]

Funny I had similar ideas. Good visual tie in.

[UltraNova]

Good idea but the 2nd game should focus on Joel and Elie trying to survive after the world finds out about Ellie's immunity to the cordyceps. I can see powerful and influential people doing everything in their power to get Ellie while Joel gives his life to save her.

The 3rd one could then focus on a grown up Ellie in a much darker version of her, after all she lost everything including Joel the father figure she came to love and trust only to see him die for her to live another day on a wretched world who haunts her relentlessly. Maybe she can go offensive on those who killed Joel using her life long acquired survival/killing skills. I cant stress enough the part of her being dark, very dark. Revenge is a bitter sweet fruit we all hate to love.

Thats my vision...

[GribbleGrunger]

I feel a revenge story line would externalise the narrative just a bit too much and leave less room for an internal narrative. We need to be taken on a journey into Ellie's thoughts, feelings and motivations and I think that's best served by a sense of forced dislocation. This would give ND plenty of emotional conflict to play with, and so new sociological themes.

What would Ellie do given another chance to save mankind if mankind had just rejected her? That's one hell of a juicy dilemma. How would she view the lie in the face of mounting resentment? Perhaps she'd learn to forgive Joel or even thank him. Perhaps the realisation that her innocence had almost lead to her own 'pointless' demise would make her angry at the world.

Once an outcast, the journey would be one of self discovery through various encounters with different characters. Sure there has to be a plot to hang this all on but the plot should never become the overall narrative ... not if ND want to mirror what made TLOU so ground breaking.

[UltraNova]

Yes I get where you're going with this but lets not forget in order to explore all those sociological themes you need some kind of functioning society which the games setting wont/cant allow. The more time passes the worst the world becomes the hardest is to explore those themes.

I would hate to see this turn into another feel good/happy ending story of a viral (fungal in this case)outbreak destroys the world only to be saved by a frightened little girl with immunity. That's the very definition of cliche.

As for the revenge side of things I cant see why those inner feelings/battles Ellie has to face cant coincide or even elevate the story I have in mind!

Think about it..

Btw revenge isn't the primary theme here. Its the realization of the world gone bad and that one has to survive with all means necessary including that of avenging the ones who by killing Joel, her last glimmer of hope, contributing to her miserable state.

I don't know why but the story and especially the ending of the 1st game left me with a sense of uneasiness, a feeling that says there's no hope in this world and that survival is all that is left.

[GribbleGrunger]

I always find revenge a shallow motivation though. I'm not saying revenge isn't something that couldn't be part of the overall arc of the story, but it certainly shouldn't be the main backbone or motivation to drive Ellie from one location to the next.

Joel would probably tell her to keep her secret to herself, as he did in the first game; although that would become more problematic as time went on. If it was a small community then it would be feasible to suggest they could come to terms with her 'condition' but the penultimate camera pan was down into a large community.

The more she keeps her secret, the more estranged she'd become until eventually she would feel like a stranger amongst humanity, which would remind her of how she felt when she was forced into boarding school.

It wouldn't be a stretch to see her set off on her own. Meanwhile, the Fireflies would still be present and would probably still be looking for her. If, by chance, someone found out about Ellie before she left (or at least showed suspicion) then Ellie would become an exile AND a fugitive, leaving ND plenty of room to explore what that means to Ellie as a person, how it would change Ellie as a person and how the changing Ellie deals with those who forced her out and those that seek her out.

Revenge could be worked into this scenario too, but instead of it being the main motivation it would become just one small part of it.

The first game was about the characters and how the world they lived in effected/changed them and so ND would want to do the same again. That's the difference between a good story and a bad story and why 99.9% of all other games feel shallow in comparison.

[UltraNova]

I would like to see ND pick up where the left off definitely.

My whole point revolves around Joel's potential death though. It will allow (force?)Ellie to evolve into a very complex character with the capacity to explore even more mature elements.

Well time will tell... one thing's for sure I cant wait for the sequel!

[GribbleGrunger]

Yeah, same here. All I hope for is that ND approach the game in the same way but don't try to mirror the beats that were so successful in the first game: Character/story/plot/gameplay (in that order). I think that's probably why revenge puts me off a little. ND took two character and drove them though the story. It was the characters that decided the gameplay mechanics, not the other way around.

I want to see them do that again and I fear if revenge was uppermost in their minds they may end up forcing the characters into scenarios to fit the narrative which could end up feeling unnatural ... rather like David Cage has 'emotion' uppermost in his mind and ends up manipulating the plot in order to achieve that end.

[Lightning Mr Bubbles]

I hope they don't try to turn Ellie into Kurt Cobain.

[cyclindk]

What matters here is, she's "old enough."

Jeez, some people right?

The maturity level around this place...

[-Foxtrot]

Good little backstory.

Make sense other people would come looking for the cure , like the idea of a woman leading her people to get her, maybe even the military. Ellie would get captured, Joel would go looking for her, Ellie escapes during the trip, they meet up, they try to escape together. It would give them an excuse to go to another country like the UK, like they take her to a science center in Glasgow but the planes lands in London.

[GarrusVakarian]

Wow, that single picture and that quote has my imagination running wild thinking about a sequel. Ellie in her late teens/ early twenties, just wanting to live a normal life but being constantly pursued and hunted by the military and bandits. I can just imagine some of the tense scenarios that Ellie would find herself in.

Please make it happen ND. Playing as a grown up Ellie would be amazing.

[Conzul]

Goodness yes! T'would put Jodie Holmes to shame IMO.

[Baccra17]

I always felt that the "government" in TLOU knew far more about the plague than they let on. So I can see them coming after Ellie- but more to get rid of her than to get the cure.

Either way, I never felt that TLOU should be one and done with Ellie to begin with.

[Rob4Vendetta]

Ellie's seen some shit man.Just look at her expression.

[Abriael]

I would have it too with what's behind her lol.

[Conzul]

Could just be a metaphor for what's on her mind / memory. That's why they're so ghostly.

[Midgus]

brilliant piece. would be good if this set the tone for the next one

[Austin48]

Either way I want a sequel please naughty dog:)

[cruxito]

this kinda makes me want to go un-dust my play3 and start playing TLOU again

[LOL_WUT]

Thats some very good fan art good to hear it got the attention of Neil ;)

[therealmarauder]

Beautiful indeed! Now its Joel's turn! :D

[alti]

we already got to see joel get older in the game. what, you want him to go solid snake old? lol

[therealmarauder]

Nah... More like what he is upto now, like Ellie is into music. Maybe he is into horse breeding with his brother... who knows, but it would be interesting

[Concertoine]

I figured it wasnt anything concrete yet, ND's busy remaking the first game and making U4.

[Chaos-Dad]

Naughty Dog work on another "unnanounced Project" here:
https://twitter.com/MrCambi...

i Hope its The Last of Us 2^^

[TD_hastetheday]

Can't wait for the remastered version!

[LKHGFDSA]

no wonder there was 130-ish layers in the image.

[rivencleft]

That is beautiful fan art, would love to be able to buy a print of it to hang on the wall!

[HmongAmerican]

ND need to hire this person.

[alti]

shit, just realized this shit is just like resistance x_x.... infection spreads, and you play as (/with) the protagonist who has it but is resistant for no reason..

this was one of my favorite games ever, but that realization just killed it for me a little.

[matchesmalone]

omg

[Gigus]

Dat fan art!

[Hazmat13]

i picture her singing hurt by nine inch nails.

[Conzul]

Prints plz

[jc48573]

I have it as a wallpaper.

[Wni0]

"We wanted to make the first non sexual female protagonist.."

Goes on and makes a lesbian teenager.

[Conzul]

Kissing isn't strictly sexual -.-
But that did seem like shock-value to me.

[Wni0]

No believe me TLoU is my second favorite game this generation but I found that funny.

[ZILLA]

Greatest game EVER!cant wait for the new maps next tues.ONLINE MADNESS!!

[Psychonaut]

I would be excited for a, "The Last of Us 2." featuring Ellie grown up, or older. and have Joel and his brother aiding her. I say aiding cause we should play as Ellie, and she can hold her own now.

p.s.-The Last of Us is my favorite video game from the PS3.

[Tross]

I would play such a sequel. Of course, it would once again be thrashed by fans of The Walking Dead, thanks to it following in the footsteps of starring the female supporting lead from the previous season/game, but once again, the similarities would highlight the differences, by contrast, and TLoU is already way different, so, eh...screw em. I like both games/series, and they're both creative takes on the hackneyed zombie formula, so they both deserve praise for it.

[quenomamen]

You can bet your bottom pesos there will be some sort of sequel. Probably after the next Uncharted.

[LightDiego]

I hope Ellie is 18 just like Sansa from Game of Thrones, if you know what i mean.

[LKHGFDSA]

in brazil the legal age of consent is 14.

[dota2champion]

If they make a Last of us 2 then they'll need to make ellie witness joel death.

[Razorus]

That is beautiful art work!

[NazKidA]

If there is one thing that this picture says to me. say if this concept art is actually for sequel purposes.. It seems that the government or whatever authority figure is in power is looking for Ellie. And that really seems to be interesting story wise. Instead of Ellie and Joel crossing the country finding something (fireflies), she is now running away from the government and or fireflies with joel possibly and most likely. Just my theory... out of thousands and thousands